So you’ve convinced your administrators and IT group to buy a 3D printer for your library. Other than just 3D printing, what can you do with your new toy? It’s simple: use the 3D printer to better engage your audience.

Many of our patrons still have a preconceived notion that libraries are old, dusty places to study. In contrast, the Science and Engineering Library at Columbia University has few books and no print periodicals. Instead, we have a slew of computers stacked with powerful software ready for researchers and students to use. For us, a 3D printer gave us an avenue to promote the 3D modeling and drafting software that we have been providing since the library opened in 2011. We got a 3D printer in order to engage our students and faculty in using the software the library provides and, by extension, the broad range of other services we offer.

To get the word out about our new Makerbot Replicator 2, we took it out of the library and into a space where patrons like to hang out and relax: a nearby coffee shop that is crowded with students, faculty, and staff from morning to night. We wanted to show off the printer in a visible location where we could connect with students and faculty. After many “Ooo”s and “Ahh”s—many had never seen a 3D printer in person—their inevitable next question was, “Will you print a gun?” No, no we won’t.

With the help of a talented intern, we then created a website, 3dprint.cul.columbia.edu, that allows Columbia affiliates to upload 3D designs, adds them to a queue, and allows us to feature interesting and novel 3D designs. Some users upload designs from external websites like MakerBot’s Thingiverse, but we try to highlight the original models made using our high-end modeling software programs. Additionally, we offer prizes to patrons who upload original designs to the site.

The most fun part of having a 3D printer is watching it actually create an object. We wanted to be able to show off the printer despite its relatively isolated location. Inspired by the webcams at The Smithsonian National Zoo that give viewers around the world an opportunity to watch pandas throughout the day—people love watching panda cubs play around with each other all day!—we attached two webcams to the printer using 3D printed mounts, and embedded the live feeds on the 3D printing website. We’re in the process of building out this service, but for a time our patrons could watch the 3D printer in action from the comfort of their homes or offices.

Watching an object print is a lot of fun, but some objects print slowly over many hours. In order to showcase the entire process in a short time, we created time-lapse videos showing objects being printed. Time-lapse videos can turn nine hours of printing into a dynamic one-minute video that can be shared easily with anyone. Check out this video where we printed a 3D model of a human brain based on MRI scans:

One way we make patrons aware of the videos and webcams is through Twitter (@CU_SEL): when a new object is printing or when a new video is uploaded, we tweet links to the 3D model, the webcams, and the video.

In addition to putting information out about our 3D printer over Twitter, through workshops, and via one-on-one consultations with interested patrons, we’re also engaging the wider 3D printing community in a variety of ways. Talking with other libraries that run 3D printers, joining listservs, and staying in contact with the manufacturer have enabled us to access resources, to learn how to troubleshoot issues with the printer, to hear about new developments in 3D printing, and to get samples of new materials that could be used for printing. Ultimately, being part of a community is the best way to stay relevant and up to date in this rapidly changing field.

There are also some things we haven’t been able to do with our 3D printer. Ideally, we’d like to be able to offer patrons the chance to hack the printer, to try to adapt it to new functions, and to try to print using exotic materials. Unfortunately, that sort of experimentation often results in a broken or dysfunctional machine; in order to keep it working smoothly for patrons who want to use it for standard 3D printing, we probably won’t facilitate hacking our printer any time soon. We do, however, encourage our patrons to come up with non-traditional uses of the printer that wouldn’t change the operability of the machine. We are particularly interested in how 3D printing can enable researchers to ask new questions that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to ask without having access to such a device.

So now that you have a 3D printer in your library, we hope you’ll take advantage of our experience and creatively use it to more fully engage your users.

Did we miss something? Have you found another way to engage your users with 3D printing? We hope you’ll continue the discussion and let us know what you’re doing. You can leave a comment below, email us (Ellie or Jeffrey), or send us a tweet (https://twitter.com/CU_SEL).

October 23, 2009

I was fortunate enough to live-blog at the inaugural TEDxColumbus event this week at the Wexner Center for the Arts on the OSU campus. While all of the talks were interesting, the research of two speakers with a technology focus--Norah Zuniga Shaw and Chrystie Hill--stood out to me.

Zuniga Shaw, assistant professor and director for dance and technology at the OSU Department of Dance, presented the “Synchronous Objects” choreographic visualization project. The project highlights what can happen when computer scientists collaborate with those in the arts. From my live blog post:

Norah Zuniga Shaw wants us to understand the concept of “counterpoint”—things that don’t seem to have structure really do under the surface. In her “Synchronous Objects” choreographic visualization project ... she and her colleagues worked with William Forsythe to deconstruct once of his dances—One Flat Thing, reproduced—to see what physical thinking might look like displayed visually. His dance incorporates a high degree of difference, with the “dancers constructing a cacophonous structure.” Click here to read the rest.

Hill is a librarian whose work focuses on using technology—especially social networking—to enhance and extend the role of the library in a community. From my live blog post:

In 1999, while attending library school, libraries were rethinking access based on technological advancements. In thinking of the library, she felt there was a disconnect between the community aspect and the reference desk—which she saw as a barrier between herself and the people she wanted to serve. She set out to change this by incorporating community features into the library’s role. Click here to read the rest.

I always like to see interesting examples of technology transforming the way we live and how we think about things. These two speakers highlighted that for me.

June 10, 2009

We recently learned that Lou Lucke, one of our long-time category editors, passed away on May 16, 2009. Lou was a category editor for Computing Reviews--responsible for the General Literature (A) and Computing Milieux (K) areas--for over 10 years, so we came to know him well. Lou took the extra time needed to give thoughtful comments to reviewers, and his dedication to his role as an editor was always evident. Frequently, I would see notes from Lou to reviewers saying things like, "Your reviews are always interesting to read. Keep up the good work." When a review needed revisions, he always approached reviewers with a coaching tone that they appreciated.

I spoke with Lou on the phone in December, and he mentioned that he was very active in his community--including working on the historic preservation of local buildings and serving on the boards of various community organizations. Over the course of his career, he worked as a systems engineer at IBM, an executive advisor and senior research engineer at McDonnell Douglas Co., and the director of IT services at Montana State University -- Northern. According to his obituary, "[Lou] fixed more than 161 computers and gave them to people who could not afford them."

We thoroughly enjoyed working with him, and he will be greatly missed by the CR community.

Publications:
Over a dozen technical articles in computing from 1958.
Two papers at ACM Conferences. Two general magazine articles.
One television production. One radio series. One newspaper
series.
One book in preparation.

Citations:
Who's Who in the West.
Dictionary of International Biography.
Other professional computer compendiums.

December 06, 2006

I'm willing to take on arguments but I'll go on record that I think the greatest computer game is Tetris. Simple and addictive, Tetris is a game that stands the test of time without any artificial 'retro' appeal and has been played by an extraordinarily wide variety of players. A few weeks ago I came across a link to a documentary on the early history of Tetris from the BBC, now available on Google Video and over the weekend had enough time to watch it.

I had no idea, back when I was playing what was surely a pirated version of it in my college apartment, the history of how Tetris was made and how it made it out of Russia to become the hit it was then. After I watched the documentary I scoured the bottom of my closet to try to find the only video game system I've ever purchased - the bright yellow original Gameboy with Tetris cartridge. Alas, I couldn't find it. I hope I do have it somewhere. Some fresh batteries and my obsession with getting rid of those lines at the bottom will begin again!

It was hard to ignore the hype around the recent release of the Sony Playstation 3, especially here in San Francisco. I suspect many people will be making the tough Christmas decision between that and the Nintendo Wii. Or will you get both? I have no opinion and will probably get neither but do really wonder if those photos of the damage to someone's TV from accidentally throwing the Wii remote are true. That's some serious gameplaying.

In the CCS, gaming comes in under a few different categories. You can find reviews about games and gaming under:

August 17, 2006

I saw this link this morning (via Metafilter) and thought it might be of interest to our community:

The UW CSE Colloquium features accessible talks by leading computer
scientists and computer engineers from the University of Washington,
the region, the nation, and the world.

You'll see the schedule of their live and televised talks as well as being able to download others via the website. There's a way to search, but if you trick the date drop-downs a bit you can see them in browsable lists. The content is really varied with "Understanding Venture Capital" listed right next to "The Learnability of Quantum States".

There must be other archives like this that I'm just not familiar with: please drop any links for them into the comments!

June 27, 2006

Yes, I've been neglectful. I left you hanging on the eve of SLA and then never returned.

The great thing about conferences is that you meet new people and get new ideas and then come home. And, if you're me, you come home with big lists of new ideas and new things you want to try out and enough energy to get you through that first week where your desk soon becomes covered in spreadsheets and flowcharts and even very old style scissors and tape as you weed through these lists and ideas to figure out what's really important. That's what I've been doing.

The piles are sorted out a bit more clearly now and I've become focused on a couple of areas: first, getting CR linked in to other resources more - like Google Scholar and Windows Live Search; and, second, promoting CR internationally. Those are what has emerged as my main focii (is that right?) for the latter half of the year.

June 07, 2006

I'm in Arlington VA at the SSP conference. It's the first time I've come to this one and I'm finding it very interesting so far. Most often, when I'm doing the day-to-day work I do for CR, I don't have time to think about "publishing issues" - I'm more interested in making things work and pushing new features, but not so much thinking about the more theoretical or more experimental ideas related to what we're doing in the broader sense. This afternoon I attended a well-done seminar on access and authentication where the panelists discussed the issues we face about how we give access to our content to the proper people (and keep the improper, I guess, people out) and some of the technological ways we can make this happen. Finally, finally, I think I can wrap my head around Shibboleth, the vague idea of which has been rattling around there for probably the better part of a year. I don't know if it was the context, or just being allowed to sit and think about it for a while, but I can now see it in the context of what we're doing at CR.

I did note that around 4:20pm I laughed out loud at a joke about NISO as did others around me so maybe I have been firmly assimilated into the group here.

Most of my conference time over the years has been spent at SLA so I really only have that as a comparison. This is smaller, of course, and so the exhibits are smaller. Much as I'd love to spend lots of money on backend systems for CR that's not what I'm most interested in. I did talk to a vendor about tools for producing better usage stats, which is something I believe we must do better and have been looking at myself without a lot of progress.

I also stopped in at the Windows Live Academic Search booth to say hi to an old friend and colleague Mike Buschman (there he is on the right). Mike gave me a demo of Academic Search and talked about where the product is going (and I want to talk to him more about where CR might go along with it!). It was a bit of a weird experience because I'm used to seeing Mike as my client so to do the role reversal and get schwag from him was strange! I'll be on the vendor side of the booth at SLA next week so things will be back to normal soon enough.

May 26, 2006

Of course the best way to spend a Friday afternoon before a long weekend (it's the Memorial Day weekend here in the US) is to roll over the live site to a new server. But that's exactly what we've just done and we hope you'll enjoy faster page loading times and less congestion on the site. We'll be continuing to test and tweak throughout the weekend (before we break for BBQ and beer, we promise!) and look forward to coming back on Tuesday to a much better performing Computing Reviews.

We will be publishing on Monday but on a lighter schedule and hope you enjoy your weekend, long or short as it may be.

CACM is an interesting read for me each month - many times I find myself going back to articles in it and I always get something out of the figures with the arrows and boxes even in articles where I don't read or understand much of the surrounding article.

And now that I've typed that I'm reminded of Boxes and Arrows, which I haven't visited in a while. I'm not sure I have the time to catch up!

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